Ponting comes out in support of under-fire Kohli, says 'only matter of time' before he bounces back

Virat Kohli has been going through an extended lean patch with the bat and has faced both criticism as well as calls to get axed from the Indian team in recent times.

The former India captain however, has also received support from several former and current cricketers, with ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting the latest to come out in his support.

Ponting, who led Australia to two ODI World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007, advised the Indian team leadership against dropping Kohli from their squad for the T20 World Cup.

"I think if I was an opposition captain or an opposition player, I will be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it, more than I would be one that doesn’t have him in it," Ponting was quoted as saying on The ICC Review show.

Ponting added that it was "only a matter of time" before Kohli regained his old form and was back among the runs.

"But every great player that I have seen in this game has been through it at some stage, whether that’s a batsman or a bowler, they have all been through it.

"And somehow, the best (players) find a way to rebound and respond, and it’s only a matter of time before Virat does that," Ponting added.

Kohli, who stepped down as the Test and T20I captain and was relinquished of ODI captaincy, endured one of his worst outings in the IPL in this year's edition. That was followed by a disappointing run with the bat in the tour of England, in which Kohli got off to promising starts more often than not, only to fall for low scores in the end.

The T20 World Cup takes place in Australia between 16 October and 13 November later this year, with the Men in Blue kickstarting their campaign against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 October.

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